SAUVIM: A Deep Ocean AUV

Roland Piquepaille writes, "After several years of research,
engineers from the University of Hawaii are now
testing the first autonomous robotic vehicle for deep-ocean work in
the U.S. This robot is called SAUVIM,
short for Semi-Autonomous
Underwater Vehicle for Intervention Missions. It's roughly the size of
an SUV and it is designed to operate to a depth of about 4 miles. With
its computers, its sensors, and a 5-foot, 150-pound autonomous
manipulator, or robotic arm, it will be able to move towards a specific
target, such as a wrecked pipe laying on the ocean floor -- and maybe
fix it. Right now, this robot has an autonomy of about eight hours, but
this range should soon be extended when the researchers move from
batteries to fuel cells to power the undersea vehicle." For more,
see Roland's blog
entry or the Autonomous
Systems Laboratory site at the University of Hawaii.